When the Golden State Warriors hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2022, it felt like a familiar scene - a battle-tested group proving once again that experience, chemistry, and elite talent still matter on the NBA’s biggest stage. But fast forward to today, and the picture has changed.
The Warriors are no longer the juggernaut that steamrolled the league in the mid-2010s. Instead, they’re a proud team trying to squeeze one more run out of a legendary core that's starting to feel the weight of time.
Head coach Steve Kerr didn’t sugarcoat it during a December 24 press conference. In fact, he said what’s been lingering in the air for a while now: the Warriors are a “fading dynasty.”
“We are no longer the ’17 Warriors dominating the league,” Kerr admitted. “We are a fading dynasty.
We know that. Everybody knows that.
So what is up to us? How do we carry ourselves night to night?
How connected are we? And can we give ourselves another swing at the plate?
… We know where we are. We’ve got to know who we are.
We got to know what’s possible and we have to take pride in the struggle because this is part of life.”
That’s not just a coach speaking candidly - that’s a four-time champion acknowledging the reality of a team that’s aging, evolving, and trying to rediscover its identity in a league that’s younger, faster, and deeper than ever.
The Warriors’ foundation is still built on familiar names: Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and Al Horford. All of them have logged heavy NBA mileage and are well into their 30s. While their basketball IQ and leadership remain invaluable, Father Time is undefeated - and the grind of an 82-game season doesn’t get easier with age.
Still, this group isn’t just holding on for nostalgia’s sake. Curry remains the most dangerous shooter in the game, capable of bending defenses with his gravity and rhythm in ways no one else can.
Green continues to anchor the defense with his elite versatility and unmatched communication. These guys can still play - and play at a high level - but the margin for error is thinner than it used to be.
The challenge for Kerr has been threading the needle between honoring the core that brought the franchise four titles and developing the next wave of talent. That’s never easy.
Young players need minutes, reps, and room to make mistakes. But when you’ve got a locker room full of championship rings and expectations that come with them, patience can be hard to come by.
And yet, there’s still a path - however narrow - for one last run. If the Warriors can get healthy, find cohesion, and tap into the muscle memory that made them great, they might have enough left in the tank to make some noise in the postseason.
But there’s no denying the window is closing. Every season that passes without another deep playoff run makes the climb steeper.
What’s left now is pride, legacy, and the willingness to fight through the struggle - something Kerr emphasized in his remarks. This team may no longer be the unbeatable force of 2017, but the heart of a champion still beats in that locker room. And in the NBA, sometimes that’s all you need to give yourself one more swing at the plate.